This invention relates to a hydro-pneumatic cushioning device for use in an energy absorbing device such as an end-of-car coupler for a railway vehicle, the cushioning device comprising a structure forming a closed ended cylinder chamber and an annular chamber which surrounds the cylinder chamber, there being metering holes in the structure which provide metered communication between the chambers, each metering hole being spaced from the other metering holes in a direction which is parallel to the axis of the cylinder chamber, and a plunger which is slidable within the cylinder chamber, the latter chamber being filled with liquid and there being a volume of gas within the annular chamber when the device is used, the gas acting through the liquid to urge the plunger towards one end of the cylinder chamber when the device is not loaded. Such a device is referred to as "a hydro-pneumatic device of the kind referred to" in the rest of this description.